Twitter Places, Facebook Places, Google Places - Where's Your Place?

If you are from New Zealand and are a website owner, chances are you know what Google Places are and have seen these appearing on the Google Search results. The names Twitter Places and Facebook Places may not sound so familiar though. These latter technologies are relatively new and still in production for Kiwi users.

In this article we discuss the ‘places' options in the Social Media platforms Twitter and Facebook:

Twitter Places

Current Twitter users know how difficult it can be to fit your message within 140 characters. You'll also know that trying to incorporate a location into your Tweet uses up valuable Tweet space. Solution, Twitter Places will allow you to Tweet with your location automatically published, therefore still allowing you to Tweet what you need to.

How can you add this feature? Via your Twitter account settings you can tick the ‘Add location information to my tweets' box. Note however that until the full functionality is rolled out to globally, it's likely that you won't be able to use the actual feature yet if you are in New Zealand.

However, when this feature is rolled out to us - once you have ticked the box, you can choose to include your location information of choice with your Tweet. Starting with your city and going right through to the actual place you are at. If that place doesn't exist in Twitter you will be able to add it.

Part of Tweeting with your location means that other Twitter users will be able to click on the ‘geo-pin' that will appear next to the location information. This will show a Google map with your location pin pointed.

Facebook Places

With smartphone/iPhone users in mind, Facebook Places allows you to share where you are by ‘checking in' at that location. This also allows you to discover where your friends are and where new places are that you may or may not have heard of. Like Twitter Places, Facebook Places are not available to New Zealand users at this stage.

When this technology does become available to us - if you are an iPhone user there will be a Facebook application that you can use. If you use a mobile browser you will be able to access Facebook Places via the mobile Facebook site (provided your phone has the capabilities).

How do you use this feature? Once you are in the application or at the mobile site you can hit the ‘Check In' button, which will bring up a list of places near you, from there you can choose the location you are at. Once you are checked in, your friends will see your ‘story' in their News Feeds and Recent Activity sections.

An additional feature of Facebook Places is that you can choose to tag your Facebook friends in too if they are with you (provided their settings allow it) and even post an update alongside, therefore providing more information about where you are and what you are doing.

Naturally, there is the “opt out” option for those people who do not wish to use this function and there are privacy settings which you can set up to ensure that you are not tagged by your friends etc.

If you are a business owner and your location has been added via Facebook Places, you will have the option to ‘Claim Your Business'. Once the location is claimed as your business, a Facebook business page will be created, where you will be able to post updates and such like.